Lost in the Echo
by santacarlasweetheart
Summary: Myra's vacation to Luna Bay turns into a fight to keep what's rightfully hers. - Shane/OC with hints of Edgar/OC. Written as an AU piece to a Tumblr RP story line. Contains sexual content
1. Chapter 1: Morning Sun

"Is that an invitation?"

Myra whirled in the spot where she'd been dancing to the loud music playing around her, tipping her head up to look at a _very_ tall blond man who'd somehow snuck up on her. Taking in his handsome face and the brilliant blue eyes glittering at her from behind bits of wavy blond hair, the young brunette smirked and raised a brow. "Pardon?"

The man chuckled and pointed at her shirt. Printed across the chest were the words _Bite Me_ in a white font edged in red blood spatter. He lifted both brows and smiled wide. "I asked if _that_ was an invitation."

Studying the playful look on his face, Myra inhaled slowly, her pretty green eyes flickering amber for a brief moment when she realized he was like _her_. Shrugging her shoulder coyly, she lifted her drink to her lips and took a sip, letting her hips resume the sway that had been briefly interrupted. "Might be. Who are you, Stranger?"

"Name's Shane. Shane Powers." The blond held a hand out to her. "And you are?"

"Myra Stone." Taking his hand, the petite woman shook it and tried to contain a short laugh when Shane brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. "Aren't we a gentleman?"

"Sometimes." He grinned, showing off his white teeth. "You're not from Luna Bay, are you Miss Stone?"

"Nope. Just visiting, actually."

"And where are you from?"

"Santa Carla."

"Thought so. You carry the scent of that city on you."

"I hope that's not a _bad_ thing." Myra smirked, taking another sip of her drink before looking around at the rest of the party. She wasn't even sure how she'd ended up here. She'd taken the night off from prowling around Santa Carla, bored with the all too familiar sights and sounds, and had found herself hitchhiking along the highway until she'd arrived here. David had told her before to keep her guard up in this place. Some of the vampires were less than _friendly_, but those she'd met so far seemed nice enough. She figured he was just playing the part of her Big Brother and Sire, only warning her so that she wouldn't get herself into a mess that he'd have to pull her out of.

"Not a bad thing at all." Shane's mellow voice drew her attention back to him and the young vampire's eyes went wide when she realized he'd stepped closer. This earned her another chuckle from the vampire. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You'd better not. You wouldn't want anyone from _my_ side of the tracks coming after you." She flashed him a curt little smile and drained her cup, moving to set it on a small table already piled high with empty glasses and beer cans. Turning back to the man, she folded her arms and raised a brow. "Well, are you going to ask me to dance, Shane Powers, or are you more interested in staring at my tits all night?"

"Ooooh, such a sharp little tongue you've got there. Tell me, darlin', are you always that straightforward?"

"Most of the time, yeah. Drives David _insane_."

"And David would be…?" Shane didn't _really_ need to ask this. He knew who the girl was talking about.

"My brother." _And my Sire_.

"Your brother isn't going to jump out of the shadows and stake me for talking to you, is he?" Shane looked around at the other party goers as though he was actually worried that the famed blond was around. Turning his attention back to her, he let his lips curl in a wicked smirk and held his hand out for her to take again. "C'mon. Show me what you've got."

Snorting, Myra shot him an amused look and slipped her hand into his, allowing him to lead her over to where most of the people were crowded around, dancing to the loud music. Once they'd found a decent spot, she raised a brow as Shane dropped her hand in favor of curling his own around her hip and pulling her close enough to almost touch him. Casting an almost sultry look at the blond, Myra turned so her back faced him and arched her hips back a little in time to the music, just barely brushing her backside against the front of his jeans. Before the blond could take hold of her again, she twisted out of his grasp and proceeded to twitch and roll her hips in a manner that mimicked the moves of a belly dancer. She leaned her shoulders back a bit, resting them against his chest, and bent at the knee to drop herself down and rise back up.

She smirked to herself when the man rested his fingertips lightly on her waist, reaching her arms up to settle her hands against the back of his neck when he started moving to the rhythm he set. She had to admit, she didn't do this sort of thing often, but Shane had an air about him that told her he was _dangerous_. And Myra had always had a thing for dangerous men.

Letting out a soft sound when she was pulled back a little more fully against the vampire's front, Myra tipped her head back to look at him. He was watching her intensely, his blue eyes darkening with every move she made against his form, and he tilted his head a little when he caught her staring. Smiling, the blond trailed the ends of his fingers along the bare skin of her midriff and curled his hand around her waist almost possessively. When he started to bow his head to kiss her, the long haired brunette twisted away again, giggling as she took a few steps back from him.

"Ah-ah-ah…" She wagged a finger at him playfully. "Not so fast, Mr. Powers. The song isn't even over yet. What sort of gentleman kisses a lady before the song ends, hm?"

"I said I was only a gentleman _sometimes_."

"Mm. But I have not yet given you permission to kiss me, Shane." Myra grinned, showing off her fangs, and turned to slip away into the crowd with a giggle.

Shane followed, his eyes set on the little brunette as he stalked her through the mass of writhing bodies and watched her step out onto the back porch of the place the party was being held. He'd been here a time or two. A few of his boys liked to break in to the house when the owners were gone and throw ragers that lasted for days on end sometimes. It was a nice place, he had to admit, but it was a little too flashy for his own personal tastes. Following the vampire out past the gate separating the house from the stretch of beach behind it, he watched with fascination as she bent over to unlace her boots and set them aside.

"Planning on taking a swim?" He asked once he'd gotten close enough.

"Hardly. _Can't_ swim. I'd sink like a lead weight out there if I tried." Shrugging, Myra dug her toes into the sand and sighed, looking out at the inky black water. "Needed to breathe. It's a little stuffy in there."

"I agree. Too many humans show up to these parties. I'm waiting for the day we get a vampire that hasn't been fed in a while. The bloodbath would be entertaining." Stepping a little closer, the blond dared to rest his fingers against the small of her back, taking a deep breath that tasted of the salty sweet ocean air. "Have you been fed tonight?"

"I have." Myra nodded slowly, glancing at the arm leading to the hand he was touching her with. "And you?"

"Of course."

"Good." Stepping away from him again, Myra strolled a short ways away and sat herself down in the sand. With a sigh, she leaned back on her hands and peered up at the moon hanging luminously overhead.

"What brought you to Luna Bay?" The blond asked, coming over to sit beside her.

Turning her head to eyeball the man that didn't seem to want to let her stray too far, the brunette shrugged and looked back up at the night sky. "Needed a change in scenery for a few nights. David knows where I am. He's not happy that I left Santa Carla, but that's just because he's overprotective."

"Got a place to stay?"

"Indeed I do." Myra smirked. "But I'm not telling you _where_. I highly doubt the person would want _extra_ house guests. He's already skittish about _me_ staying with him."

"Now why would anyone be skittish around _you_?" Shane flashed a wolfish sort of grin at her and watched the young woman turn to him again with one of her thin brows raised.

Snorting, she shook her head, sweeping her long curly hair over her shoulder before lying back in the sand. "I might not look like much to you, Shane Powers, but I wouldn't be foolish enough to assume that I'm _weak_ if I were you."

"Wasn't implying that at all, my sweet. Was just curious about why your friend would be skittish about having you around."

"Because, when it comes to this particular _friend_, I can be a bit of a brat. He's fun to tease and I know he secretly enjoys it, no matter how much he says he doesn't."

"Sounds like he's a lucky man to have you willingly torment him."

"You are something else, you know that?" Myra laughed, shaking her head at him. "What is it you want, Shane? Have you singled me out from all of the other girls at this party for a reason?"

Shrugging, the taller man moved to stretch himself out beside her, propping himself up on one arm and resting his cheek in his palm. Smiling at her faintly, he reached his free hand over and toyed with a bit of her dark hair. "You caught my eye. And your attitude is so different from most of the girls around here. A lot of them are surfer groupies. They know me from my days in the circuit and think that running around in tiny bikinis and acting like doe-eyed virgins is going to interest me. And it does. Sometimes. Won't lie about that. But it gets so _boring_."

"And you think that _I_ could make things fun for you?"

"You could say that."

"Hm." Turning her gaze to the sky once more, Myra sighed. "Hate to burst your bubble, babe, but I don't _like_ men who follow me around like lost puppies. You're cute. I'll give you that. But you're a little too submissive for me."

"Excuse me?" Shane sat up, shooting her a narrow eyed look. "Too _submissive_?"

"Mhm. S'what I said." She turned her head and smiled at him cheekily, watching as his pretty face twisted in a scowl.

Shane was silent for a few moments, just staring at the girl lying beside him. He'd never felt so insulted before. Submissive. _Him_. Jesus Christ, that was a joke and a half. He had a feeling that if she knew how he _really_ was, she wouldn't be saying that. But, instead of flat out arguing with her over the subject, he snorted and moved to get to his feet. "And you're a little too much of a bitch for _my_ tastes."

"_Funny_." The brunette sat up, shaking the sand off of the back of her tank top. "You just told me my attitude _caught your eye_. You can go ahead and be upset and call me what you like, Shane. But don't lie to me like that."

"You called me _submissive_."

"Because you're acting that way."

"I'm trying to be a _gentleman_."

"I don't _like_ gentlemen, Shane." Sighing, Myra got to her feet and started to head towards where she'd left her boots. "You're not nearly as aggressive as what I'm used to. Most men would've stolen that kiss from me. You let me walk away from you without fuss. You're not what I'm looking for. Not even in a one-night-stand."

Shane stared at her, watching as she dusted the sand from her feet before shoving them into her boots and bending to lace them back up. He couldn't quite figure her out; she was a tricky one to read, that was for sure. He wasn't used to that. Most women fell at his feet when he smiled at them and spoke to them in that soft tone of his. But this girl… well, she was obviously an entirely different breed of woman altogether. One he hadn't come across yet. As he watched her straighten and crack her back, he got to his feet and slowly walked over to her.

Myra let out a sharp gasp when she felt a hand fist in the back of her shirt and haul her back against Shane's chest. Looking up at him, she started to ask what the hell he thought he was doing, only to have him bow his head and steal that kiss from her. She growled at him, thumping a hand against his shoulder even as she relaxed into the kiss and even started to return it. She couldn't deny that his lips were absurdly soft pressed against hers like that, but she wasn't about to just let him get away with that. Parting her lips as though she were trying to deepen the kiss, the brunette sank her teeth deep into his bottom lip and earned herself a yelp from the other vampire.

"What's with the biting?" He snapped, pulling away and tentatively touching fingertip to his mouth to make sure she hadn't broken skin. "I thought you wanted—"

"You really shouldn't _think_, Shane. It doesn't seem to be working out well for you." Smiling up at him sweetly, Myra brushed him off and, once again, started to head back to the house. She could hear some of the blond's friends murmuring as she passed them on her way to where the drinks were sitting out on a table. One of them asked Shane if he wanted them to _take care of the little bitch_, but the man declined.

"Leave her alone." He muttered, watching Myra snatch up a margarita that was more alcohol than mixer and down it in one go. "I can handle her myself."

Snorting a little when the blond's grumbling reached her ears, Myra shook her head and grabbed another drink before heading back inside to dance for a little while longer.

**xXXXx**

It was getting late. Judging by the fact that most of the guests of the vampiric persuasion had already left, sunrise was coming soon and Myra still had to find her way to Edgar's place before she turned into dust. Setting down the empty cup that had contained her fifteenth or sixteenth drink, she ran a hand through her hair tiredly and started to walk through the house to leave. She stepped over sleeping humans and those who were still alert enough to be rolling around on the floor, making out with some random stranger, and paused when she found Shane leaning casually against one of the walls. His blue eyes seemed to be busy taking in the sights before him, far too distracted to notice her. But as soon as he felt her eyes on him, he shifted his gaze and stared right back at her.

"Heading out?" He asked in that mellow tone of his, raising a brow.

"Yeah. Gotta go before I get myself in trouble." She nodded, blinking wearily.

Pushing off of the wall, the taller vampire slowly strolled over and stood in front of her. Eyeing her from beneath his long hair, he tipped his head curiously. "Can I see you again while you're in town?"

This made the brunette smile. It was nice to see that he hadn't been completely put off by her actions earlier in the night. That had _definitely_ earned him a few brownie points. "Maybe."

"You got a number?"

"Are you going to blow my phone up if I don't answer right away?"

"No. I'm persistent, but I'm not a stalker."

"Give me your hand, then."

Confused, the blond held his hand out for her to take, watching her turn it palm-side up before taking out a sharpie pen and jotting down a cell number.

When she was through, she capped the pen and smirked up at him. "Don't go using that hand to jack off, now. I won't be writing that number down for you again."

Shane couldn't help the short laugh that escaped him. Running the fingers of his unmarked hand through his hair, he shook his head at her and smiled faintly. "Yeah, I won't."

"Get yourself somewhere safe before sunrise." Myra advised needlessly, turning to open the door.

"I'll do that."

"And Shane?"

"Yeah?"

Reaching out, Myra took hold of the front of his shirt and hauled him to her, standing on her toes and tipping her head up to press an almost violent kiss to his lips. Letting her teeth lightly drag over the man's bruised bottom lip as she pulled away, she smiled up at him wickedly and gently pushed him back. "You'd better call me or I'll find someone else to hang out with in this shitty town."

The blond nodded, watching with a startled look on his face as the vampire turned on her heel and walked out.

**xXXXx**

"Edgar," Myra hissed as she rapped hard on the door to the Frog brother's trailer. "Goddammit, _open up_."

Jumping back when she heard a crash from behind the door, Myra stepped away when it swung open and a sleepy looking Edgar Frog glared at her with a titanium stake clutched in his hand. His tired brown eyes seemed to survey her for a moment before he grumbled and stepped aside to let her in.

"Jesus fucking Christ, kid. The fuck are you doin' here?" He mumbled, tossing the stake onto a cluttered counter.

Myra stepped into the trailer cautiously, eyeballing the numerous _Missing_ posters and boxes of holy water and comic books all over the place. Shrugging some at his question, she yawned. "You said I could stay here, remember? You said you'd black out the windows for the next few days."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know I did. And I did that. I meant, what are you doin' here so fuckin' late?" Running a hand through his mussed hair, the tired looking human brushed a few stray posters off of a seat and sat down.

"Party ran late." Myra mumbled absently, picking up a copy of a horror comic sitting out on the table. "I don't have this issue. You mind if I read it?"

"Knock your socks off." Clearing his throat, the hunter eyed her wearily and sighed. "You find the place okay?"

"Easily enough." She leaned against the counter with the book in her hands, her eyes carefully scanning the cover page. "This one any good?"

"They're all good. That one in particular is a bit slow, but you'll like it. I think."

"How're you healin' up?" Myra lifted her gaze away from the comic book to give Edgar a slow once over. The man didn't appear to be in too bad of shape. He certainly looked a hell of a lot better than he had the last time they'd seen each other. Then again, the last time they'd been anywhere near each other, he'd just slain his own brother.

"Fine." The older man waved a hand, rubbing the spot on his chest where he'd taken an arrow by accident. "Bit tender sometimes, but I'm fine. You?"

"We're fine." Her voice was soft as she turned her attention back to the comic and flipped the page. "You change your mind about that offer I made you?"

"What the hell do you think?"

"I think you're a stubborn old man, Edgar. You're going to die if you continue this shit."

"Myra, it's like I told you. I've been doin' this shit for over twenty five years. I haven't met a bloodsucker yet that could get the best of me. My own brother couldn't kill me and neither could his bitch." He fixed her with a hard stare, the expression softening just slightly when he saw how tense the young woman looked. "I told you, sweetheart, if I change my mind, I'll let you know."

"No you won't. You're too damn proud to be a human to ever give that up. You can stop lying to me." Closing the comic book, Myra tossed it on the table and folded her arms over her chest. "Where's the bed? I'm going to pass out on my feet."

"Back there. Behind the divider. Windows are blacked out and I took down all the crosses and shit."

"You _know_ those don't work on me, Eddie." Crouching a bit to unlace and remove her boots, Myra heaved a sigh and looked at him over her shoulder. "He's worried about you. We both are."

"I find that hard to believe, Sweetheart. David doesn't worry about anybody but you and himself."

"That's not true and you know it. If he didn't care about you, he wouldn't have rescued you. He would have left you there to die, Edgar."

"You should have." The Frog brother mumbled, not looking at her. "Things would have been a lot easier."

"I'm going to knock your teeth out, Frog. Shut up." Kicking her boots under the table so that the brunet wouldn't trip over them later in the day, Myra started towards where the bed was, and paused. Turning some, she fixed her gaze on him and sighed heavily. "I miss you."

"Miss you too, kid."

"It's not the same."

"Tell me about it."

"Why are you so stubborn, Eddie? Why won't you let me help you?"

"Because I've seen what that _Gift_ does to people. Look what it did to Alan. I… I don't want that to happen to me, too."

"You _know_ I wouldn't let it happen to you." Myra walked over slowly and crouched in front of him, resting a hand on his knee to steady herself. "Alan was starved until he agreed to feed. The Change was too much for his mind to take and it shattered it. I would never do that to you."

"I know." His voice was soft, the expression on his face matching it when he lifted his head to look at her. Catching sight of the watch on his wrist, the brunet sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "You should get some sleep. Sun's up in about twenty. Don't need you turnin' into a pile of ash in the middle of my trailer."

"Come with me." Myra smiled faintly, lightly stroking her thumb over his knee. "For old time's sake."

The Frog brother smirked and snorted a little, shaking his head. Leaning in, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead and pinched her chin playfully. "You haven't changed, kid. Still the same brat as before."

"I've changed." The brunette said quietly, rising to her full height again. "It's you who hasn't changed."

Edgar raised a brow, watching as she turned and headed for the miniature bedroom at the back of the trailer. His eyes followed her until she had disappeared behind the divider, and he could only sigh again before knocking a few more things off of the little sofa to lie down. "I've changed too, kid. Probably more than you realize."

"Edgar," Myra's voice was soft as it called to him from the back. "Eddie, there are _porno_ magazines all over this bed."

Letting out a bark of laughter, the brunet sat up and rolled out of his seat, shaking his head. "Jesus Christ, Myra. There are no _porn_—"

The hunter cut himself off when he nudged the divider aside and found the young woman lying on the tiny bed in nothing but her shirt and her underwear. Flashbacks of the few times she'd snuck herself into his bed while he was staying in Santa Carla to help her and David fight off Alan and Widow came racing back and for a moment, he simply stood there and stared at her. Shaking his head as he grumbled at her in an annoyed fashion, the Frog brother reached over to lock the front door to the trailer before moving to climb into the bed beside her, shutting the divider behind him.

"You're still _trouble_, Myra Stone. Do you know that?" He asked, shifting around until he was comfortable.

Myra grinned at him in the darkness and nestled herself against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "Of course I do, Eddie. And I'm still the _best_ kind of trouble you'll ever know."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and get some sleep, kid."


	2. Chapter 2: Made of Scars

Myra groaned a little when she rolled over in the bed and collided with the wall of the trailer. Rubbing her face where she'd smacked it, she grumbled and shifted on the tiny mattress to stretch her arms and legs out with a yawn. She had no idea what time it was; she'd left her phone in the other room. Not wanting to risk peeking through the blacked out windows, the young vampire turned her head towards the divider blocking out the rest of the trailer and called out in a cracked voice. "Eddie? Edgar, are you in here?"

"Yeah." He sounded distracted. Lord knew he was probably knee deep in some new comic book or something.

Sitting up on the bed, the brunette brushed the curls out of her eyes and yawned again. "What's the sunlight situation?"

"It's going down." The Frog brother mumbled. "But there's a pretty good layer of fog. Hardly any light in here at all. You should be fine."

Sighing, Myra fished around on the floor for her jeans and hastily tugged them on. Hooking her fingers in the handle of the divider, she cautiously pulled it open and peeked out. Indeed, the trailer was pretty dimly lit. Edgar was hunched over the cluttered table with a comic book open and a sandwich sitting untouched off to his right. Smirking, the petite vampire cleared her throat and watched him look up.

"Don't you think you're getting a little _old_ for those, Eddie babe?" She teased, going over to where she'd left her phone the night before to check to see if there were any messages. Surprisingly, Shane hadn't bothered to try and contact her. But, then again, he could still be sleeping.

"You know the answer to that." Edgar muttered, barely sparing her a glance. "You hungry?"

"Apparently _you_ aren't." Smirking at him, Myra slid onto the seat beside him and peered over his shoulder. "You and your horror comics, I swear. Don't you ever read anything like _The Invincible Iron Man_ or even _Captain America_?"

"Marvel's all right." The older man shut the comic book and leaned back in his seat. "This is just what I like. You didn't answer my question."

"Yes, Eddie, I'm hungry. Do I want you to make me anything? _No_. I'm perfectly capable of stealing your untouched food." Grinning, the brunette made a move like she was going to snatch the sandwich off the plate when there was a knock at the trailer door. Raising a brow, she turned to look at Edgar and tilted her head. "You expecting company?"

"No." Shaking his head, the hunter gently brushed her out of the way and went over to answer the door. "Yeah, what?"

"Edgar, hey," The voice of a younger man had Myra leaning out of her seat to try and catch a glimpse of the visitor. "I was wondering if you had any more work for me."

"Chris, I… uh…" Glancing to Myra briefly, the Frog brother sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess we could discuss that. Come on in."

Stepping aside to let the kid in, Edgar gave a tight lipped sort of grimace when Chris spotted Myra and stopped in his tracks.

"_Whoa_," The kid blinked, eyeing her for a minute before turning to look back at Edgar. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company."

"It's all right. This is… this is Myra. She's a friend." Nodding to the brunette, Edgar sighed again. "Myra, this is Chris."

"Hi." The young woman stood to shake Chris's hand, watching the way the human surveyed her carefully as he gave her hand a gentle shake.

"Hey. Er, Chris Emerson. I'm Edgar's assistant. Sometimes."

"Emerson?" One dark brow shot up and Myra shifted her gaze to Edgar. "Not like…"

"Myra," The Frog brother shook his head and moved to budge himself between them and walk further into the trailer. "Chris, you said you needed some work? I've got a few half done boards that I need to finish by the end of the week, but since I've got Myra staying with me, I'm not sure I can get them done. I'll pay you a little extra if you take them off my hands."

"Sure," Chris nodded, still watching the young brunette as she let his hand go and walked over to the table to reclaim her seat. "So, how do you two know each other?"

"Oh, he's an old friend of my brother's." Myra lied expertly, smiling over at the uncomfortable looking Edgar. "He's helped me out quite a bit since we've met, too. Being the big, strong vampire hunter that he is."

"Myra, please,"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Eddie." The vampire patted his knee and shot Chris a look. "He's really modest sometimes."

"I've noticed." The Emerson kid nodded again, shaking his head to clear it before looking back at Edgar. "Um. Do you want me to take the boards or work on them here?"

"Whatever's easiest for you, kid." Edgar waved a hand, fiddling with the plated sandwich in front of him distractedly.

"Eddie?" Myra nudged the brunet and waited for him to look up before speaking again. "Do you have somewhere I can clean up? I noticed your bathroom doesn't have a shower, and I might be meeting a friend later."

"Who the hell do _you_ know out here, sweetheart?"

Myra smiled and shrugged, looking as innocent as possible. "Just someone I met last night."

"Right…" Eyeing her, the Frog brother waved a hand. "The shower's out in the workshop. It's a little grimy, but the water's hot. Towels are in that cabinet by Chris. Do you even have extra clothes?"

"My bag's in your truck. Stashed it there when I got here last night." Moving to brush Chris out of the way, Myra crouched and pulled a towel from the cupboard, giving it a sniff before standing upright again. Flashing a quick smile at Chris, she shifted her gaze to Edgar once more. "Be out in a bit. Do me a favor and don't let this one into the workshop until I'm done, okay?"

"You got it, sweetheart." Edgar nodded, watching as Myra walked out the door and headed across the yard to his pickup. Once she'd disappeared into the workshop, he looked over at the Emerson kid and grunted. "_What_?"

"Who… is _that_?" Chris asked, both brows lifting high on his forehead.

"Told you. She's a friend."

"Uh huh." The younger brunet nodded. "Are you two…?"

"_No_. Jesus Christ. Do I look like that kind of guy to you?"

"Not really, no. I'm just asking. She seems _pretty_ friendly towards you."

"That's just how she is. She's a flirt."

"She got a boyfriend?"

"Don't even think about it, kid. She's _way_ out of your league." Picking up the untouched sandwich, Edgar got up to put it in the fridge in case Myra wanted it after her shower.

"How old is she?"

"Almost twenty-seven."

"And you said she was single?"

"What part of _she's out of your league_ don't you get, Chris?" Edgar turned to glare at the brunet, watching the way he blinked and took a step back.

"Okay, all right. I get it. She's off limits." Chris lifted his hands in defense. "Chill, man."

Sighing, the Frog brother rubbed a hand over his face and leaned against the counter top. "Look, I'm sorry. But her brother would _not_ enjoy it if I hooked the two of you up. Trust me. The guy's a real asshole sometimes."

"Overprotective?"

"You could say that."

"I guess he'd have reason to be." Casting a look out towards the workshop, Chris shook his head and smirked. "But, come on, man. Don't tell me you haven't thought about—"

The loud, low growl that escaped Edgar's throat had Chris stopping halfway through his sentence. Shooting the older man an apologetic look, he nodded once and shoved his hands into his pockets. The two stood there in an awkward silence for a while, only looking up when the crunch of feet on the gravel outside drew their attention. Myra was coming back to the trailer, holding her dirty clothes and towel in one hand while the other was wringing out her curly hair.

"Eddie," She grumbled as she stepped inside and moved to put her things in the back where the bed was. "That shower is not _grimy_. It's _filthy_. You ought to get someone to clean it out for you before you get sick."

"Are you offering to bleach my shower, sweetheart?" Edgar teased, smirking at her a little. He was _very_ aware of the way Chris couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the girl's backside as she bent over in the cherry red denim shorts she had on, and he reached over and swatted the kid upside the head. "Get to work, Emerson."

"Right. Uh. It was nice meeting you, Myra." Chris murmured, heading for the door.

"You too." She called over her shoulder. Once he was out of the trailer, Myra stood upright and moved to peer out of the window. Turning back to Edgar, she propped her hands on her hips and raised a brow. "_That_ is Michael Emerson's son?"

"That would be him." Edgar nodded, scrunching his nose when he realized Myra's hair was dripping water on the floor.

"Scrawny little thing, ain't he?"

"Michael wasn't exactly a big dude."

"Hm." Grunting, the brunette went over to check her phone again, letting out another heavy sigh when she saw there was still no message from Shane. Well then. If he wasn't going to contact her, then she was going to find something to do _without_ him. Looking to the table, she pursed her lips and frowned a bit. "Where'd that sandwich go?"

"Fridge." Edgar pointed his thumb over his shoulder and eyed Myra's bare legs. He was honestly shocked to see her wearing the shorts to begin with, especially since they showed off several of the burn scars she'd received from a misfired holy water grenade. _That_ had been his fault, and he'd apologized profusely for it when the incident happened.

"Stop staring." Myra muttered, setting her phone down to brush the Frog aside and take the sandwich back out of the little refrigerator. "They're scars, Edgar. And don't give them that sad, puppy eyed Frog look, either. It was an accident."

"I know it was." He said softly, moving out of the way to watch her steal a few more things out of the fridge before she went and sat at the table. "But I still feel bad."

"It was almost a year ago. I'm over it. Besides, this shit is no worse than what's on my back and you know it." Taking a bite out of the sandwich, Myra paused and made a face like she was going to be sick. Getting up from the table, she nearly knocked over a box of old _Terror Tales_ comics as she rushed into the bathroom to spit out the food and try not to vomit.

"Myra?" Edgar poked his head in after her, looking concerned. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"

"Eddie, _what_ is in that sandwich?"

"It's just bologna and cheese. Why?"

"I think the meat's gone bad."

"I just bought it two days ago. That's impossible."

"Yeah, well… it tastes spoiled." Leaning back on her haunches, Myra ran a hand through her wet hair and looked up at Edgar with amber-edged irises.

"Whoa, sweetheart." Edgar reached out and cupped her chin in his hand, watching as her fangs began to lengthen behind her lips. "I think I know what the problem is."

"Oh yeah? Do tell." She leaned into the touch, unable to really help herself.

"You need to feed. Soon." Letting out a sigh, the Frog brother let go of her and backed out of the bathroom doorway.

Getting up from her spot, Myra ran her tongue along her fangs and followed him, keeping herself a good distance away. She grimaced at a light stab of pain in her belly and rubbed her hand over it, trying not to look sheepish as she shrugged a little. "I could eat."

"You know, I _did_ ask you if you were hungry." The hunter muttered pointedly, picking up the sandwich to cautiously sniff at it and make sure it _wasn't_ spoiled.

"I thought you meant for human food."

"Go out and get yourself something." He mumbled in a dull tone, taking a bite out of the sandwich. It tasted fine to him. "Just… try not to eat anyone important, all right?"

Nodding a little, Myra moved to put her boots on and tucked her phone into her pocket. Pausing near the door, she chewed her lip and cast a look back at the Frog brother. "You got a jacket I can borrow? It's kind of cold out."

"Yeah," Walking to the back of the trailer, Edgar sifted through a pile of clothes until he found an old camouflage sweatshirt that he hadn't worn in a while. Handing it over, he smiled when the brunette leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You stay out of trouble, you hear me? And try to be back at a reasonable hour this time."

"Thanks. And I _will_." Rolling her eyes, Myra stepped away to pull the sweatshirt on and smiled back at Edgar. "See you in a little while."

"See you, kid."

**xXXXx**

Myra grumbled a little to herself as she strolled along the sidewalk. Luna Bay was unfamiliar territory, and even though she was pretty skilled when it came to hunting humans these days, she didn't have the faintest idea where to begin. After all, Santa Carla seemed to have designated spots where it was okay to hunt, and spots where hunting could get you into some serious trouble. She'd thought about asking some of the vampires that she'd passed on the street, but they'd all looked at her with the same judging expression she often gave visitors to her own home. Tourists were tolerated, but they were not often shown hospitality.

Hissing a little at another stab of pain in her gut, the brunette let out a heavy breath and stopped to lean against the brick wall of a closed book store. Taking a minute to find the cigarettes she'd bought on her way into town from Edgar's place, she lit one up and looked around, trying to pinpoint a human that would make a decent meal for the evening. She paused when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and took it out to answer it.

"Yeah?"

"Hey," Shane's mellow voice purred into her ear from the other end of the line. "How's your evening going, sweetness?"

"Hi Shane." As happy as she was to finally hear from the blond she'd met, Myra was still a little too focused on her hunger to sound anything but monotone. "It's going all right, I guess. Yours?"

"Just got through with dinner, myself. Everything okay? You sound a little off."

"Just trying to find something to eat." She answered, taking a drag of her cigarette and eyeballing a woman in a short skirt that strutted past with a smile on her face. "I don't know where to go around here for a decent meal."

"Is that why you look so lost?"

"Pardon me?"

"Look across the street, sweetness."

Letting her eyes drift to the other side of the street, Myra spotted the blond smiling at her as he waved his fingers a little. She smiled back faintly and raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough to see you get a few dirty looks." He scratched his chin, then glanced around before starting to cross the street. "I could help you find food, if you like."

"That would be appreciated." Smiling a little wider, the brunette hung up the phone when the tall vampire walked up to her. Taking in the sight of him, she inhaled deeply and found herself relaxing considerably when he smiled at her and gave her chin a pinch.

"Hey there," His blue eyes looked her over, pausing momentarily when they reached her legs. "Miss me?"

"Hardly know you enough to miss you." She answered cheekily, stuffing her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. "Keep starin' at those scars and I'll punch you in the nose."

"Sorry." The blond grinned sheepishly. "But for the record, I wasn't staring at the scars, sweetness."

"Yeah, well, that's all I'm used to anyone noticing." Shrugging, she looked away, chewing at her tongue. "So, food?"

"Right, right." Nodding, Shane glanced around before pointing down a side street. "Why don't we go this way? The area's a little seedy, but the selection is pretty good."

"Seedy doesn't bother me. What bothers me is locals thinking that I'm out to hunt down all of their prey."

"I assure you, sweetness, not everyone here is like that." Reaching over, Shane draped an arm around her shoulders and started to lead her across the street. "Come on. Let's get you fed, then we can discuss something a little less boring, okay?"

"'Kay." Walking beside him at a reasonably leisurely pace, Myra smoked her cigarette silently and looked around at the people passing them by. A few of them obviously recognized Shane, and they'd either nod at him in acknowledgement, or duck their heads as if trying to avoid any eye contact. This guy must've been the head honcho around here. Kind of like David was back in Santa Carla. Crowds of humans and supernatural alike would part for that man whenever he was walking around. There wasn't anyone who didn't know who he was, even if the majority didn't know _what_ he was. Yes, her big brother was kind of a big deal back home, and because of that, _she_ had become sort of a big deal, too.

"Are you looking for anyone specific?" Shane's voice snapped Myra out of her thoughts and she looked up at him with a rather dumb expression on her face, blinking and tilting her head just slightly.

"I'm sorry?" She murmured, wrinkling her brow.

He chuckled at her, fiddling with a bit of her dark hair as he raised an eyebrow. "You're watching these people like you're looking at meat in a supermarket. I was just wondering if there was a specific _type_ of person you preferred to dine on."

"Oh." Looking back to the street, Myra shrugged. "Actually, I'm not too picky at all. As long as the person doesn't appear to be an obvious drug user, I'm generally fine with feeding off of anybody. Except hookers. I don't eat hookers."

"Hookers will give you the worst stomachache you'll ever have." Shane nodded in agreement, dropping his arm from her shoulder to slip it around her waist. "You don't have to worry about that in Luna Bay, however. We don't really _have_ too many hookers here. Now, drug addled low lifes are another story."

"He'll do." Myra murmured when she spotted a young, greaser-type standing around a newspaper dispenser, looking like he was too damn cool for the rest of the world. "But you'll have to step aside in order for me to trap him."

Smirking, Shane nodded and moved to walk away from the brunette. Myra could still feel his eyes on her back as she headed over to the Greaser and tipped her head at him cutely. "Got a light?"

The stranger turned his head and looked her over, snorting some before taking his lighter out of the front pocket of his shirt and handing it over wordlessly.

"Thanks." Lighting up the second cigarette that she, frankly, didn't even really want to smoke, Myra handed it back and smiled.

"Did you want something?"

The brunette blinked at him, a little stunned by his bluntness. Shaking her head slowly, she started to turn on her heel and walk away. "Nope. Guess not."

"_Fuckin' tourists_." The man's muttering made her pause and chew her tongue. Glancing around, she could see nobody else but Shane around and with a huff, she threw her cigarette down and whirled on her heel to grab the mouthy little punk by the front of his shirt and haul him down the alley. Paying no mind to the way he struggled and shoved at her, Myra slammed a fist into his jaw to shut him up and quickly brought his throat to her lips. Biting into him rather harshly, the young vampire fed in small mouthfuls, careful not to take too much at once. She could _still_ feel Shane watching her as she fed and she growled in an almost territorial manner around the flesh in her mouth. She _hated_ being watched when she fed. It was something she'd never quite grown out of, really.

Once she was through, she tore her nails into the marks and chucked the corpse behind a dumpster. Taking a moment to clean the blood from her lips, Myra sucked a bit of it off of her thumb and turned to stroll back out of the alley, looking pretty damn pleased with herself.

"Feel better?" Shane asked in a soft tone when she came back over to where he was standing.

"Much." The brunette glanced around again, sucking in a surprised breath when Shane's hand came up and cupped her chin. She felt him sweep his thumb over a bit of blood she must've missed, and smiled lightly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled at her, running his fingers along her neck before letting his hand fall away. "So, did you still want to hang out?"

Shooting him a look, Myra snorted and laughed a little as she fished her cigarettes out and lit one up. "What do _you_ think?"

"I think I don't want to be intruding on someone else's territory." Shane gently plucked the front of Myra's borrowed sweatshirt and raised an eyebrow. "You smell like human male."

"I'm not with anybody." The brunette said softly, furrowing her brows a little. "I borrowed this from the friend I'm staying with."

"Well then," A wide smile spread across Shane's lips, dimpling his cheeks. "What would you like to do tonight, little Myra?"

"You could show me around." She smiled back, chewing at her bottom lip a little. This guy was _really_ attractive. And every minute she spent in his company, she was starting to want to know more about him.

"I could do that." Nodding, he moved to slip his arm around her shoulders again, pulling her against his side before turning to lead her down the street. They walked in silence for a while, Shane casually pointing out various spots along the way. As he steered her through crowds and past the busy main street, the blond let his arm drop again and kept his hand near her waist. They soon found their way to the docks, where the taller man waved a hand at a worn looking bench and moved to take a seat. Once Myra had settled herself beside him, he turned to her and hooked his arm over the back of the bench, tipping his head at her curiously. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"What's there to tell?" Myra shrugged, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "I was born and raised in New Orleans, and I moved to New York on my own when I was almost seventeen. I've been a vampire for a little over a year and a half and have been living in California for about that long as well."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No." She shook her head, brushing the curls out of her eyes. "I'm an only child and my, uh, parents weren't really all that great."

"Abusive?"

"Neglectful."

"I see," Reaching over, Shane ran his fingers into Myra's hair, toying with it a little. "And what made you accept the Gift?"

Chewing her tongue a little, the brunette remained silent for a long time. Finally, she leaned back in her seat and sighed heavily, keeping her eyes focused on the water in front of them. "I was on the fast track to killing myself via alcohol. David saw past my typical good girl front and offered the change to me to save my life. I owe him a lot, really."

"So, David isn't _really_ your brother?"

"Not by blood." Myra paused, pursing her lips. "Well, not by relative blood. What about you? Who were you before all of this?"

"Surfer. One of the best in the circuit, actually. But I wanted more out of life than just entering competitions and living the celebrity lifestyle. So, when I was given the chance to change, I took it." He smiled some, gently curling his fingers around the back of Myra's head. "You really threw me for a loop last night, sweetness. Like I told you before, I've never met a woman quite like you. It's refreshing, really."

"You're only saying that because I wasn't begging to suck you off last night like the rest of the girls at that party." Myra smirked at him, trying not to lean into his hand too much.

"No, I'm not, actually." Shane breathed out a soft sigh and relaxed in his spot, still eyeing the younger vampire like he'd never seen anything like her before. "You're bold and you don't hold anything back. Not from what I can tell, anyway."

"Don't make me out to be your perfect woman, Shane. I'll only disappoint you."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

"Listen, I know you've only just met me and you seem to think I'm something special, but wait until you get to know me before you start spouting off that sort of poetic shit, all right?" Turning her head away from his touch, Myra moved over on the bench and stuffed her hands in the sweatshirt pouch again. "I ain't perfect. I ain't special. I'm just… _me_. This is who I am and who I've always been. There are plenty of other women out there who are just like me, okay? You just seem to have the misfortune of never meeting any of them."

"Why are you ranting?" Shane's voice was still as calm as ever as he frowned at her, obviously confused by her sudden need to withdraw from him. "I'm not trying to paint you as a Goddess, Myra. I'm aware that a girl like you has her flaws and probably does a damn good job at hiding them from everybody else. I'm just admiring you for what you are."

"I'm a _monster_, okay? And I'm not saying that because I'm a vampire or because I like to get a little violent with my meals." Fixing him with a hard gaze, the brunette exhaled heavily through her nostrils and then flicked her eyes away. "If you only _knew_ the kind of shit I've done…"

"So tell me."

"_No_." She shook her head. "It's really not any of your business, Shane."

"Then don't sit there and preach to me about being a monster if you're not going to elaborate. I'm trying to be a nice guy here, sweetness. I realize you're not about _nice guys_, but I figure you could probably use a break from all the assholes you, no doubt, encounter on a daily basis." Narrowing his eyes a little, the blond licked his lips and cocked a brow. "Besides, I highly doubt that anything you have to tell me would surprise me. I'm a _vampire_, Myra. I kill for food and for fun. I run around this town like I own it because the locals are too damn scared to do anything about it. You should see the sort of shit I get up to when I'm bored. I might appear to be some kind of Zen ex-surfer boy to you, but there's more to me than that. But you'll never know any of it if you keep yourself closed off like that."

"Sometimes it's better that way." Moving to stand, Myra growled when Shane took hold of her sleeve, whirling on her heel to throw a punch at his face. She let out a startled gasp when he stood and snatched her wrist before she could hit him, her eyes widening some when he used it to pull her closer to him.

"You really want to hit me?" He asked, lightly stroking his thumb over her wrist.

"Yeah." She nodded, trying to tug out of his hold before he touched the scar she had hidden beneath the stack of bracelets on that particular wrist. "I do."

"Why?" His grip tightened, but the touch to her skin remained gentle. Myra was about to answer when she felt him pause as his thumb stroked over the dreaded mark, and she started to yank herself away when he dropped his hold in favor of looping his arm around her waist.

"If you want to hit me so bad," He leaned his head down a little, tilting it to the side to give her a better shot at his jaw. "Then do it."

Myra just stared at him, fighting back the urge to let out the sob caught in her throat. _How_ had he done it? How had he broken through her barrier like that so quickly? The only other person to have ever done such a thing, was back in Santa Carla, probably patrolling the Boardwalk and wondering what she was up to. The longer she stared up at him, the less she felt like hitting him, and she couldn't understand _why_. As he gazed at her almost calmly with those pretty blue eyes of his and his expression set in one of expectation, Myra found herself reaching a hand up. She watched him flinch just slightly, and almost laughed at the way his eyes widened when she threaded her fingers in his hair and pulled him down for a rough, bruising kiss.

She growled into his mouth as she forced her tongue past his lips, feeling his arm tighten around her as he brought his free hand up to cup the back of her head and hold her there. The edges of his human teeth scraped over her bottom lip and Myra whined in response, cranking herself up on her toes in an effort to get closer. There was something oddly possessive about the way he kissed her; his lips seemed to crush hers beneath their softness as he bit and gently sucked at the delicate skin. She was almost overwhelmed by the way his tongue dominated the playful little battle it was having with hers, and she noticed that it seemed to move like it was searching for something that it wanted.

The brunette whimpered a bit when Shane hauled her close enough to nearly pick her up, feeling the toes of her boots scraping the wood of the dock as she wrapped her arm around his neck and returned the sharp little bites to his mouth. When the two finally broke apart to breathe, Myra could only stare at the blond with her mouth half open, her breathing coming in slow, shallow heaves. Shane appeared to be breathing in the same manner, and she could see the tips of his fangs peeking out beneath his upper lip. Then, the blond let out a low growl and leaned in to gently knock his head against hers in an affectionate manner.

"What time do you need to be home tonight?" He asked in a rough voice, gently setting her back on her feet as he nudged her head to the side to kiss at her neck.

Myra's hold on Shane's hair tightened and she let out a shivery little noise when the taller vampire ran the edges of his fangs over her skin. "Before sunrise. Why?"

"I think you know why…"

"Shane…"

"Hm?"

"I…" Licking her lips, the brunette let go of him and rested her hands on his shoulders. "I can't. We just… I hardly even…"

"It's just sex, Myra." He murmured against her throat, grunting when she gave him a good shove.

"_Stop_." Myra backed away as far as he would allow, looking up at him with a regretful expression. "I'm _not_ like that, okay? I… making out is one thing, but I don't fuck just anybody."

Running his tongue along his teeth, the blond nodded slowly, easing up his hold and taking a step back. "Okay. All right."

"Don't be mad at me. We can still hang out. I just… didn't come here for a fling."

"I know." He nodded again, clearing his throat and running his fingers through his wavy hair to brush it back into place. "Not mad. Maybe a little disappointed, but I'm not going to push."

"Don't try to make me feel guilty." Myra snapped, scowling at him. "I've been with guys like you before, all right? They play that _disappointed_ card like it's the only one in the deck. Doesn't work on me."

"I'm not trying to guilt you into anything." Shane shrugged a little, letting his hands fall away completely before he shoved them into his pockets. "You don't want to take it that far, that's cool. I'm a jerk sometimes, but I'm not a complete asshole."

"Good." Running her fingers through her hair, Myra looked off towards the city, then back to him. "I think I'm going to go."

"Okay." The blond nodded, chewing the inside of his cheek like he was trying to suppress the urge to try and get her to stay. "Do you want me to walk you back?"

"No thanks. I can manage." Rocking on her heels for a moment, Myra turned to go and then paused. Looking back at him, she stepped over and reached up, curling her fingers around the back of his head and bringing him in for a soft, deep kiss. Pulling away slowly, she lightly nuzzled at his cheek and flashed a tight smile. "I'll call you tomorrow after I've eaten, all right?"

"I'm having another party tomorrow. On the beach. You call me and I'll give you directions. Or a ride, whichever you prefer." Shane murmured, leaning in to give her another kiss.

"Sounds good." Smiling faintly, Myra finally broke away and started to walk down the dock, shoving her hands into her front pockets and shivering a little at the fog that had started to roll in around them. She could feel Shane's eyes on her back until she reached the main street again, and she had to keep checking over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't tailing her. As she walked up the dark road that lead to Edgar's trailer, Myra couldn't help wondering just what the hell she thought she was getting herself into. If David were here, he'd be yelling at her, asking her the same thing. To be honest, she wasn't even sure _what_ it was she thought she was doing. She'd only come here for a mini vacation, not to hook up with the head vampire of the city.

Grumbling to herself when as she passed the numerous _No Trespassing_ signs Edgar had around the property, the brunette looked up to see that the Emerson kid's car was still in the yard and there were lights on in the workshop and the trailer. Checking her phone, she saw that she hadn't been gone as long as she'd thought, and was crossing the yard to get to the trailer when Chris popped out of nowhere and called out to her.

"Back so soon?"

"_Jesus Christ_!" Myra jumped a mile and turned to face the young brunet. After regaining her wits, she shot him a dirty look and shook her head. "Boy, you ought to know better than to sneak up on people like that. Sweet fucking Jesus, man."

"Sorry." Chris chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Edgar's out. He said he was going into town to get some groceries or something."

"Dandy. I hope he's buying beer." Myra muttered, leaning against the side of the trailer to light up a cigarette.

"I don't think Edgar drinks." Chris eyed the cigarette between Myra's fingers and cleared his throat before setting the surfboard he'd been working on, aside. "You know, those things'll kill you."

"Because _that_ is completely new information to me." Myra muttered, making a big show out of taking her next drag. She blew the smoke around and shot him a dark look, snorting when the kid just stared at her. "I ain't worried about _dying_, Chris. Trust me."

"You don't seem like the kind of girl who'd worry about something like that."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Chris shook his head and shrugged, moving to lean against the hood of his car with his thumbs tucked in his front pockets. "You look like you've done your fair share of daredevil stuff, that's all."

"You talking about the Goddamned scars on my legs?" Myra fixed him with a cold stare as if daring him to continue talking about it.

"That's part of it."

Staring at him, Myra snorted and threw her cigarette to the ground, stomping it out with her boot and making her way over to Chris with this look on her face like she was going to tear him to pieces. Instead, she stopped a foot or so in front of him and ripped the borrowed sweatshirt off over her head.

"You wanna see scars, Emerson?" She snapped, tossing the sweatshirt onto the hood of the car. "I'll show you scars."

"Hey, I wasn't—"

Myra ignored him as she hooked her thumbs in the hem of her shirt and peeled it off over her head. She ignored the wide eyed look she received from the younger man as she stood before him in nothing but her bra and her red denim shorts. She knew he could see the large, round scar that decked her shoulder where she'd had a stake driven through it, and the light pink lines where she'd been clawed at by another vampire. Grabbing her hair, she twisted it and pulled it up before turning to expose her back to him. The startled _Jesus Christ_ that left the human made her smirk bitterly and glare at him over her shoulder.

From the tops of her shoulders, all the way down to the middle of her back, was a huge collection of burn scars she'd received after coming into contact with holy water. Among those, fifteen distinct looking marks were littered randomly up and down her torso. Stab wounds from the heel of a stiletto shoe. She could hear Chris attempting to find words to say when she saw the bright flash of Edgar's headlights as his noisy truck pulled into the yard. Letting her hair down again, she started to grab her clothes when the Frog brother jumped out and stalked over, looking extremely unhappy.

"What the hell is going on here?" He growled, his brown eyes shifting from the half-dressed Myra, to the stunned Chris.

"Nothing." Myra said softly, pulling her shirt back on over her head. "Just giving your assistant here a lesson in _assuming_ things."

"Oh Jesus Christ, Myra…" Edgar groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Please tell me you _didn't_?"

"I did." Snatching up the sweatshirt, Myra shot Chris another dirty look and turned to head inside the trailer. Once she'd disappeared, Edgar rounded on Chris and narrowed his eyes.

"You forget whatever it is she told you, all right? You keep your mouth shut and you don't say _anything_ to her about those scars, you understand?" He snapped, watching the younger man nod.

"Yeah, man. I understand."

"Good. Go home. You can come back in the morning." Stepping away so that Chris could get into his car, Edgar waited until he'd driven away before going back over to his own truck and retrieving the bags inside. Taking a deep breath as he stepped inside the trailer, Edgar looked around and found Myra curled up on the bench sofa with her chin resting on her knees. He didn't say a word to her as he put away the food he'd bought, only looking at her on occasion. When everything had been put away, he finally turned and leaned against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. "What did he say to you?"

"He said I looked like a _daredevil_." Myra muttered, shifting her gaze elsewhere. "Wanted to show him that _daredevils_ don't get scars like mine."

"You didn't tell him anything about you being a vampire, did you?"

"God, Eddie, of course not. How dumb do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're dumb, Myra. I was just asking."

"Don't worry, Frog Breath. I'm not going to ruin your reputation with the Emerson brat, all right? Kid just needs to learn to control what comes out of his mouth." Leaning back in her spot, the brunette heaved a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair before looking back at Edgar and raising a brow. "Where'd you go?"

"Thought we could use a little more food. More _you_ friendly stuff." The hunter crossed the room and sat beside her, smiling faintly when Myra shifted and leaned against his side.

"You didn't have to do that. You know I'm not going to be here for very long."

"I know." Edgar started to take a deep breath and paused when he smelled the lingering scent of cologne on the brunette. Turning to look at her, he knit his brows together and frowned lightly. "Where'd you go tonight?"

"Just met up with someone for a little while after I ate. Why?"

"You smell like another man."

Scoffing, Myra let out an annoyed sort of laugh and moved away from him. "Jesus Christ…"

"Myra, I didn't _mean_ anything by that." Edgar frowned, turning to her. "I'm just curious. You're a grown woman. I'm not going to lecture you or anything. Just… relax, okay?"

"I'm relaxed." Myra muttered, pretending to be interested in the box of comic books sitting beside her.

"No you're not. I can smell the tension radiating off of you." Tipping his head, the Frog brother raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"I'm tired." She lied, fishing out a worn looking copy of an old _Tales From The Crypt_ comic.

"Go to bed, then."

"Not that kind of tired, Eddie." Turning to look at him, she sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. "It's been almost a year since this war has been over. Why am I still so worked up like this? You'd think that after Widow and Alan were taken out of the picture, I'd be more relaxed and carefree. But I'm not. I'm still scared that they're going to come back somehow and that you, David and I are going to pay the ultimate price for what we did to them."

"Oh, sweetheart…" Reaching over, Edgar gently pulled her to him, resting his cheek on top of her head as she nestled into his side. "There's nothing to be afraid of. We took care of them. They're dead. They're nothing but ashes."

"I've been having nightmares. That's why I wanted to get out of Santa Carla. I can't even talk to David about it without him getting mad at me for dwelling on it."

"David doesn't know how to help you with that sort of thing, kid." Edgar murmured, rubbing his hand along her arm. "The only person who can really do much to help, is someone who is dealing with the same thing. And… well, you found him."

"I know." Myra sighed, looking up at him. "S'why I came here. I figured you and I could talk about this."

"Well, I'm all ears, sweetheart. You know that."

Smiling at him a little, the brunette sat up and lightly kissed his cheek, resting her head against his for a moment. After a few minutes of silently playing with the fingers of one of his hands, Myra let out another tiny sigh and yawned loudly. "You should come lay down with me."

"Thought you weren't _that_ kind of tired?" The Frog brother teased, smirking at her.

"M'not. I just want to lie down for a little while."

Nodding, Edgar kissed her temple and moved to stand, stretching his arms over his head with a grunt. He watched as Myra scooted over in her seat to take her boots off, raising a brow at her and clearing his throat. "You know, if Chris asks you about those scars, you've got my permission to deck him, okay?"

"If he's smart, he won't ask. But thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey, sweetheart," Edgar hesitated a little when Myra walked past him to head to the back of the trailer. "This… friend of yours. He's not going to cause any trouble, is he?"

Myra paused, looking back at the brunet curiously. Tilting her head in thought, she shook it slowly and shrugged. "No. I don't think so."

"Good." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Edgar started to follow, only to notice that the workshop lights had been left on. Muttering to himself, he cast a look at the brunette already crawling into the bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay? Chris didn't lock the place up. You go ahead and get comfortable."

"Okay." Myra nodded, watching Edgar grab the keys to the shop from their hook and walk out. Laying back against the bed, the brunette felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and pulled it out to read the text she'd just been sent.

_Sweet dreams, sweetness. Looking forward to tomorrow._

Smirking a bit, she tapped out a quick reply and shut the phone off after sending it.

_Me too. Goodnight Shane._


	3. Chapter 3: Nightmare

_She was hardly able to breathe through the pain. Her eyes were so blurry, and she could still hear them fighting somewhere beyond where she sat struggling to get to her feet again. Blood was pouring down her face, dripping onto the dirty floor as she pushed herself to her knees and used the back of the broken bedframe to haul herself up._

"_**Myra**__!"_

_Edgar's scream had her heart leaping into her throat, and with a sudden burst of strength, the wounded brunette propelled herself across the room, stumbling and nearly crashing to the floor again._

"_**Eddie**__!" She screamed out into the next room, shoving herself away from the doorframe. Two steps in and she was hit with something hard and heavy. The loud snarl in her ear, followed by the gust of putrid breath against her neck, made Myra growl viciously. Alan had tackled her to the floor and was using her broken ribs to his advantage to keep her down. One punch. Two. Three. The fourth one cracked bone and the petite vampire screamed in pain._

"_You're going to die here, bitch." He hissed at her, flipping her over onto her back and wrapping a hand around her throat. "You'll die just like the rest of them!"_

_Myra choked as she struggled to breathe, reaching her hands up to weakly bat at Alan's face with her bruised fists. But the Frog brother was just too strong. His other hand curled around her neck and squeezed until blackness started to fade into her vision. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't scream, couldn't move. He was right. She was going to die here. He was going to kill her and they were going to lose the battle that they'd trained so hard for. With one last feeble attempt at punching the elder Frog's lights out, Myra felt Alan's body go slack as it dropped on top of her. She shouted out at the rush of pain in her chest, taking in a much needed breath when the heaviness was hauled away._

"_**Myra**__!" Edgar's voice was panicked as it rang in her ears, his touch gentle when he tried to pick her up from the floor._

_Shaking her head at him, the brunette coughed and wheezed and clutched at the front of his torn shirt. "Ed… Eddie…"_

"_Don't try to talk." The hunter hissed, slipping his arms beneath her to lift her up. "I'm going to get you out of here."_

"_Where's… David?"_

"_He's outside. He's waiting."_

"_But… Alan… W-Widow…"_

"_They're dead, sweetheart. They're dead."_

"_No." She shook her head, her eyes going wide as she watched a dark figure start to lurch towards them both. "E… Edgar…"_

"_Shush, Myra." The Frog brother turned to leave and let out a surprised sound as he walked right into a broken piece of furniture. Myra screamed in panic as she watched the length of wood pierce through the front of Edgar's chest, the other end gripped tightly in the bloodied hand belonging to his own brother. The two vampires hit the floor with loud thuds and as she tried desperately to summon up enough strength to pull the wood out of Edgar's body, Myra could hear the elder Frog laughing somewhere behind her._

"_Goodbye, little brother."_

**xXXXx**

The scream that echoed through the trailer had Edgar throwing down the surfboard he'd been carrying, and running in from the yard. Yanking open the divider he found Myra stretched out on the bed, thrashing around and tearing apart his bedsheets. Swearing, he slammed the thing shut behind him and reached out to take hold of her and try to wake her up. "Myra! _Myra_!"

The brunette's eyes flew open and stared at him, all amber and wide and full of more fear than he'd ever seen before. Her features had started to morph, and they were stuck somewhere between her pretty human face and her true vampire mask. She blinked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took in the sight of him and sat up, grabbing hold of his shirt to haul him into her arms and clutch at him tightly. "_Edgar_!"

Grunting a little at the strength of Myra's grip, Edgar rested his hands on her shoulders and attempted to pull away a little. "Sweetheart, I can't breathe."

Easing up just a fraction, the petite vampire let her facial features slide back to her normal human ones, and buried her head against his chest. "Eddie…"

"Shhhh…" The Frog brother gently ran a hand down her back, cupping her head in the palm of the other. "It's all right. You're all right. It was just a dream."

Whining a little, the brunette leaned back and started to frantically fuss with the front of Edgar's shirt, nearly tearing the buttons off to get at the tee-shirt he had on underneath.

"Myra, what are you—" The brunet flinched when the vampire shoved his shirt up over his chest, watching the way she seemed to still as she took in the sight of the large scar he had there. His eyes followed her every move as Myra tentatively brushed her fingers over the mark, then looked up at him.

"It was my fault." She said softly, her voice thick with uncried tears. "You were trying to help me."

"Myra…" Edgar's expression softened and he shook his head at her, reaching up to run his thumb beneath her eyes to catch the new tears rolling down her cheeks. "Sweetheart, that wasn't your fault."

"You almost died."

"But I didn't. None of us did."

"He wouldn't have attacked you if I…" Looking to the scar again, Myra ran her fingers over it and let out a choked sound.

Gathering her up with a heavy sigh, Edgar sat down on the bed and held her to him for a few minutes, just stroking her hair and murmuring gently to her.

"Is everything all right?" Chris' hesitant voice was a little muffled by the divider, and Myra growled in Edgar's arms at the sound of it.

"Everything's fine, Chris. She had a nightmare." Edgar called back, trying to calm the woman down.

"You need anything?"

"Yeah, go back to the workshop. I'll be out there in a little bit. Just… just stay there, okay?"

"Sure man…"

Waiting until he heard Chris' footsteps getting further away, Edgar let out another sigh and bowed his head to press a kiss between Myra's eyes. "You can stop growling, sweetheart. He's not coming in here."

The brunette only grunted, tucking her head beneath Edgar's chin and curling her fingers in the material of his tee-shirt. She sat there for a while, just rolling the cotton between her fingertips, until the Frog brother kissed the top of her head and rubbed at her back.

"You okay?" He asked, his voice oddly calm.

"I feel sick." She mumbled back, closing her eyes.

"What can I do?"

Myra shook her head, letting out an exhausted sigh. "Nothing."

"Do you need blood?" Tilting his head to look at her, Edgar watched the way Myra jerked back and stared at him. He smirked faintly and raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look. It's a genuine offer. Do you need blood?"

"No." Her voice was tiny. "And you can't donate anyway. You'll get sick again."

"Small price to pay." Smoothing a bit of the hair out of Myra's eyes, Edgar dried the last of her tears with the hem of his shirt and cupped the side of her face. "I suppose telling you that you should try and get more sleep would earn me a punch to the head, wouldn't it?"

"It might." Myra's lips twitched in an amused little smile before she yawned loudly and rubbed a hand over her face. "Time is it?"

"It's a little after four. You still have a while before sundown."

"Hand me my bag." Pointing to the _Iron Man_ backpack she'd lugged with her, Myra waited for Edgar to grab it and hand it over. Unzipping it, she rooted through the clothes and things she'd brought until she found a white tube with no label on it.

"What the fuck is that?" Edgar asked, making a face.

"Vampire strength sunscreen. There's a guy in town that makes the stuff and he's been giving me a good deal on it. David doesn't like that I use it because he's worried that it'll wear off and I'll get burned up or something." Shrugging, Myra moved away and started peeling her clothes off, shooting the Frog brother a look. "I'm gonna need a little help with my back."

"Sure." Nodding, he turned away as she began to apply the stuff to her bare skin, not wanting to be accused of staring. He wrinkled his nose when the smell of the lotion invaded his nostrils, and turned back to look at her. "Jesus Christ, how can you stand the smell?"

"I'm used to it." Myra shrugged, rubbing a bit of the sunscreen into her chest and belly.

"And it really works?"

"Yep. As long as I don't go swimming or anything. Which is fine, since I can't swim anyway."

"You still haven't learned?"

"Don't want to." Shrugging again, the brunette brushed him out of the way so she could stretch her legs out and apply the stuff to her thighs. "I didn't know Chris was going to be back."

"He's got work to do and it's easier for him to get it done here instead of at his place. His sister likes to complain about the mess shaping leaves behind."

"Is he any good at it?" Myra raised a brow, rubbing some of the sunscreen into her feet before moving to stand. Pausing, she glanced at Edgar and smirked. "You gonna get weird if I ask you to put this stuff on my ass too? I mean, I can do it myself, but you have to tell me if I missed a spot."

"Uh," The brunet blinked, clearing his throat. "Yeah. Uh you go ahead and do that yourself. I'll let you know if you miss a spot."

Snickering, the vampire shook her head at him and proceeded to strip her underwear off and apply the lotion to her backside. "You didn't answer my question."

"Which question?" Edgar's brown eyes flicked up to the girl's face, one brow lifting high on his forehead.

"Is Chris any good at shaping?"

"He's decent, yeah. Better than he was when I hired him, anyway." Shrugging, Edgar glanced back down at the brunette's bare rear end and grunted when she threw the tube of sunscreen at him.

"Your turn." She smirked, pulling her hair up and out of the way. "Don't be sparing with that, either. Make sure you rub it in good, but be gentle, okay? Still feels weird to have someone touch the scars."

Nodding, Edgar moved to sit on the edge of the bed, squeezing a generous amount of the smelly sunscreen into his palm and rubbing his hands together. He applied it as gently and as thoroughly as he could, feeling Myra flinch a little when his hands lingered too long on a few of the deeper scars. Murmuring apologies, he smoothed his palms along her back to make sure he'd covered every bit of skin he could reach, and sat back to check over his work. "Okay sweetheart. You're good."

"Thank you." Turning around, Myra giggled at the way Edgar's eyes widened, then darted away. Reaching out, she slipped her fingers beneath his chin to turn his gaze back to hers, and smiled at him. "Eddie, we've slept together. There's no reason for you to look away from me like that."

"I know." He said quietly.

"You are such a strange little Frog." Shaking her head at him, Myra bowed to press a chaste kiss to his lips and lightly patted his cheek. "Go on. Get out and let me get dressed."

Nodding, Edgar got to his feet and brushed past her to step out and give her a little privacy. Pausing as he reached for the handle to the divider, he turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you want anything to eat? Or are you still feeling queasy?"

"Not really hungry right now. But thanks."

"Okay. Let me know if you change your mind."

"Edgar, I'm more than capable of making my own food." Myra smirked, snorting at him. "You needn't dote on me like that."

"I don't mind."

"Obviously."

"And it's just food."

"Edgar, you nearly offered to feed me your blood fifteen minutes ago." Shooting him a look as she pulled a fresh change of clothes out of her bag, Myra sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Not that I'm not grateful, of course. But you should know by now that I don't expect to be waited on hand and foot. No matter what my title may be back in Santa Carla, I'm still _me_. I'm still just plain ol' Myra Stone."

"I know." Smiling at her, Edgar leaned over and brushed his lips over her cheek. "Get dressed. Before Chris comes back and sees you."

"He wouldn't see me if you'd shut that damn divider." The brunette muttered back, fighting a grin. "Get out, pervert."

Shaking his head at her, Edgar let out a chuckle and slipped out of the little room. Once he'd shut the divider, Myra heaved a sigh and sat down on the bed with a groan. Her head was still replaying that horrible dream over and over, and she'd been doing her best not to let it bother her too much with the Frog brother in the room. She hated that these nightmares seemed to rule over her subconscious, turning her into a quivering, sobbing mess. David had grown used to waking up to her screams, and the blond always did everything he could to soothe her, but Myra had the feeling that her big brother was starting to get tired of having to take care of her. He knew it wasn't really her fault that her mind was broken the way that it was, but he could hardly hide the look of exhaustion that crossed his features whenever she woke from one of these night terrors. At least Edgar was genuine about his comforting. Not to say that David wasn't, but the Frog brother's didn't seem as forced.

Picking up her clothes again, Myra took her time getting dressed, reaching for her phone to check for any messages when she was through. Tucking the phone away, she pulled the divider open and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found Chris standing on the other side, coming out of the bathroom. "Fuckssake!"

"Sorry!" The brunet put a hand up, wincing a little.

"You need a bell or something, Emerson. Sweet mother." Shaking her head, she moved to go around him and paused when she caught sight of Edgar walking around outside, carrying surfboards to the little storage cage on the other side of the yard. Frowning, she turned back to Chris and folded her arms over her chest. "I hope you intend to go back out there and help him with those."

Blinking at her, Chris nodded slowly. "I do. I was just taking a quick break."

Myra snorted, going over to where her boots sat beneath the table and pulling them on haphazardly. She was in the middle of lacing them up when she realized Chris was still standing there, staring at her. Looking up at him, she narrowed her eyes. "_What_?"

"Nothin'." He shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Get the fuck outside, kid. Go help him before I throw you out."

"I told you, I'm taking a break."

"Take it somewhere else."

"What's your problem with me?" Chris asked, watching as Myra rooted through a box of Edgar's things and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

She snorted at him again, getting up to head for the door. "You annoy me, Emerson."

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough." With that, she walked outside, glad for the bit of cloud cover that dimmed the sun and made it a little more bearable. Looking over to where Edgar was putting away the finished boards, Myra walked over to the ones he had yet to move and grabbed a few of them, hefting them over her head with a light grunt.

"I'll take those." Chris mumbled, coming over to her. "They're heavy."

"Fuck off." Dodging him, Myra crossed the yard to where Edgar stood with one brow raised and a slight smirk on his face. Opening the door for her, he pointed to where she could set them and chuckled at her.

"Be nice to the kid, all right?" He said softly, noting the way Chris seemed to be staring after Myra like he couldn't understand why she was being so rude. "He's really not that bad."

"He's a nosy, lazy little shit." Myra muttered, leaning against the doorframe. "And I don't like the way he looks at me."

"Sweetheart, every straight man looks at you like that."

"It's different. He's an _Emerson_."

"Hey, he's never done anything to you. I know David's got you hating that family because of what went down in eighty-seven, but there's really no need to be mean to him." Edgar paused, shrugging a little. "Well, unless he actually does something he's not supposed to."

"I almost wish you'd let me bite him." Myra mumbled, glancing at the young brunet as he crossed the yard with a surfboard in tow.

"Behave," Nudging her out of the way, Edgar held the door open for Chris and sighed. "That's the last of them for now. Why don't you go into town and get yourself something to eat, Chris?"

"Yeah," The Emerson kid dusted his hands off and barely spared Myra a glance as he walked back out of the storage shack. "I was just about to ask if I could do that."

"You should bring me back food." Myra said suddenly, propping her hands on her hips. "I want a triple bacon cheeseburger with extra pickles and no lettuce. Make sure the meat is _rare_, too. And I want a side order of chili cheese fries and a Pepsi too, if you don't mind."

Blinking at the petite woman, Chris furrowed his brows and shifted his gaze to Edgar as if asking if the girl was being serious. Rubbing the back of his neck, Edgar shot him a sheepish sort of look and nodded his head a little.

"I'll give you the money for it. Just… bring it back for her, please."

"Yeah, sure." Nodding, Chris muttered something about washing up and moved to head into the workshop. Once the door was closed, Myra snorted and shot Edgar a look.

"Don't pay for it. Make him do it."

"_Myra_, that's enough. Go back inside and watch TV for a bit, okay? I know you're tired and cranky from the way you woke up, but _please_ don't take it out on the kid. It's not his fault."

Sighing, Myra ran a hand through her hair and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. The kid just puts me on edge a little, that's all. I'll be nice. I promise."

"You'd better." Smiling at her, the hunter nudged her out of the way again so he could close and lock the shack, resting a hand on her lower back as he guided her back to the trailer. "Do you have plans tonight?"

"I'm supposed to meet up with someone for a party. Why?"

"Oh," Edgar blinked. "Uh, I was just wondering if you wanted to stay in and have dinner or something. But hey, if you've got plans, it's fine with me. We can do it another night."

Eyeing the Frog brother with a soft look on her face, Myra smiled and reached up to palm his cheek, standing on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips. Pulling back before he had the chance to return it, she sighed and rubbed her thumb along the swell of the man's cheek. "Tomorrow. I'll stay in tomorrow and you and I can order pizza or something and watch bad horror movies."

"Sounds good, sweetheart."

"We're being stared at." Myra snickered, nodding towards where Chris had stopped halfway to his car to gawk at them.

Turning around, Edgar shook his head and grumbled under his breath. "Jesus fuckin' Christ. Go inside, Myra. Get out of the sun."

"Roger that." Grinning as she mock saluted the Frog brother, Myra turned and slipped into the trailer while Edgar muttered a little to himself before crossing the yard to talk to Chris. Taking his wallet out, he started to hand over some cash to pay for the brunette's food when the Emerson kid spoke.

"I thought you said she was just a friend?" Chris asked, looking beyond confused.

"She is. Here," Holding out a twenty, he waited for the younger man to take it and grunted when Chris simply stood there, staring at him. "What the hell do you want me to say, kid? Myra and I had a thing once, all right? Not that it's any of your damn business."

"But she's like… twenty years younger than you."

"Sixteen. She's _sixteen_ years younger than me." Edgar snapped, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not that fuckin' old, kid."

"And her brother knows about this?"

"You know, when I say something isn't your fuckin' business, I _mean_ that it's not your fuckin' business, all right? Now are you going into town or not because I need to know if I'm going to have to deal with that spoiled little brat being cranky over not getting her damn cheeseburger."

"I'm going." Chris mumbled, taking the money that was being held out to him. "And I'm sorry. I just… I've never seen you…"

"Never seen me _what_?"

"You don't exactly have women breaking down your door, Edgar." The kid said bluntly, shrugging his shoulders. "To be honest, I wasn't even sure you _liked_ women. Or if you liked anybody for that matter. You live out here in the cuts in a shitty trailer, away from all forms of human contact. Then you suddenly have this smokin' hot babe staying with you and you sit there and tell me she's nothing more than a _friend_? It sounds a little suspicious to me, man. That's all I'm saying."

"I have my reasons for living the way that I do, all right? You've known me long enough to know that by now. And above everything else, Myra _is_ a friend. She's just a friend that I happen to have a bit of a past with. And, _again_, it's really none of your business."

"Right." Nodding, Chris heaved a sigh and started walking towards his car, shaking his head. "I'll be back in about an hour, if you think the little _princess_ in there can wait that long."

"Hour's fine." Edgar muttered, running a hand through his hair. "She can be patient. Sometimes."

"I'm sure." With that, Chris got into his car and drove off, leaving Edgar to shake his head and wander back into the trailer. He wasn't too surprised to find Myra perched on the counter top with a look on her face that said she'd heard everything. The little woman had a way of _knowing_ when she was being talked about.

"Can I eat him?" She asked, watching the brunet go to the fridge for a soda.

"No you cannot." Edgar shot her a look.

"He's a rude little bastard. How _dare_ he even say that shit to you?"

"Myra, it's fine, okay? Chris isn't used to seeing me interact with anyone other than him and the occasional customer." Cracking open the can, he took a sip and leaned on the counter beside her. "I haven't really told him a whole hell of a lot about my past anyway. He doesn't even know that I used to be friends with his dad and his uncle."

"So then he doesn't know about Nora?"

Edgar choked on the next sip of soda that he took, spitting the stuff everywhere and hacking up a storm until Myra reached over and gently rubbed at his back. He was silent for a few moments, mulling over exactly what he wanted to say. When he finally looked back at her, he shook his head. "No. He doesn't know about Nora."

"I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine, Myra. You just caught me off guard, is all."

"But I shouldn't have—"

"Myra," Turning to look at her, Edgar shook his head, smiling lightly. "It's all right."

Nodding a little, Myra reached over and wrapped her arms around Edgar's shoulders, pulling him to her and resting her head on his shoulder. She said nothing as she sat there and ran her fingers through his hair, feeling him slip his arm around her waist and relax against her. The two were silent for a long time until the brunet pulled back and smiled at her.

"All right. That's enough of that." Slipping away, Edgar polished off his soda and waved a hand at her. "Come on. Hop down from there and I'll let you go through my Marvel collection. I know how much you love those old _Iron Man_ comics."

**xXXXx**

Myra sighed to herself as she strolled out of the dark side street where she'd just finished her meal. Lighting up a cigarette, she wiped the corners of her mouth off with her fingers and pulled her phone from her pocket to call Shane. Waiting as it rang, she ignored the looks she was getting from a few local vamps, and smiled a little when the line picked up on the other end.

"Hey sweetness," Shane sounded somewhat distracted, but happy to hear from her all the same. "How's your night going?"

"Better than yesterday. Are we still on for this party?"

"Of course. Where are you at?"

"Um," Looking around for a street sign, Myra spotted one and squinted a little to read it. "Gary Drive."

"Okay, you can't walk to the spot where we're at from there, so I'll come and pick you up. I hope you're okay with riding on the back of a bike."

"Are we talkin' dirt bike, Harley or bicycle?"

"It's a dirt bike." He chuckled at her.

"Yeah, perfectly fine with that." Nodding, the brunette leaned against the side of a building and took a slow drag of her cigarette. "How far away are you?"

"About a fifteen minute drive. So I'll be there soon. There aren't too many people here yet, so it'll be fine for me to leave."

"All right. Should I just stay where I am?"

"Yep. I'm taking off right now."

"Okay."

"Is everything all right? You sound a little bummed out."

Myra sighed into the phone and shrugged, glancing around at her surroundings as she wrapped an arm around herself. "Just had a bit of a rough day. I'm all right, I promise."

"Well, I'll do whatever I can to make sure the rest of your night is good. How's that sound?"

The brunette chewed her lip in an effort not to smile. "Sounds good."

"Good. All right. I'll see you in a bit, sweetness."

"See you." Hanging up, Myra tucked her phone away and resumed her quiet watching of the street in front of her. She and Edgar had spent the rest of the evening just sitting around, discussing comic book plot lines and why the hunter had stopped collecting Marvel comics after Alan had disappeared. Myra already knew _why_, but she'd made no effort to stop the brunet. It seemed to make him feel better whenever he could talk to her about that sort of stuff, and she wasn't going to deny him that. Lighting up a second cigarette as she waited, the vampire turned her head when she heard the sound of a dirt bike coming down the street. She smiled when Shane pulled it up in front of her and grinned at her. He was wearing a set of goggles to keep the dirt and whatnot from getting in his eyes, and Myra couldn't help snorting a bit as she came over and tapped her nail against the plastic.

"Cute." She teased, sucking in a sharp little breath when the blond wound an arm around her and pulled her to his side.

"Glad you think so." Shane smiled down at her, rubbing his thumb over the swell of her hip. He let out a low groan and bowed his head to kiss her, catching her off guard. Resting a hand on his chest, Myra leaned into the kiss, parting her lips with a sigh and giving a small shiver when Shane's tongue slipped past to play with hers lazily. She whined in protest when he pulled back, eyeing him from beneath a bit of hair with an almost bashful smile on her face. The blond chuckled, giving her chin a pinch before dropping his arm and giving the seat behind him a pat. "Hop on."

Nodding, Myra put her cigarette out and rested a hand on his shoulder, using it to brace herself as she swung her leg over and mounted the bike. Taking a minute to get herself situated, the brunette wound her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder with a soft smile. "It's been a long time since I've been on the back of one of these."

"Oh yeah?" Shane revved the bike, grinning at her over his shoulder. "Well, I guess I'll have to control myself and not speed, then."

"I don't mind. I like going fast." Myra shrugged a shoulder lightly, humming when the other vampire kissed her again.

"If fast is what the lady wants…" The grin on the blond's face was wicked and he barely gave her any warning at all as he eased the bike out onto the street again and then zipped off down the road.

**xXXXx**

Myra had been attached to Shane's hip since they'd gotten to the party. The blond didn't really seem to mind, of course, and he chuckled a little whenever one of the other girls would start to come over, spot the brunette, then walk away grumbling under their breath.

"You're driving all my fans away, sweetness." He teased her, running a hand down her side. Dipping his head, he gave the edge of her ear a nip and snickered at the way Myra shivered and growled at him.

"I'm sorry." She shrugged, looking up at him almost innocently before taking a drink of the watery margarita in her hand. "I could go hang out by myself, if you want."

"No, no." The blond pulled her tighter against his side. "You stay right here."

"Okay…" Smiling at him faintly, Myra smoothed her hand over his chest, letting out a soft sigh as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. She listened as Shane talked to a few of his buddies, letting her eyes drift around at the small party going on around them. It was noisy and there were drunk humans falling all over the place, but it wasn't altogether unpleasant, really. She just had a lot on her mind and she was finding it hard to really enjoy herself.

"Hey," Shane's soft voice sounded in her ear, followed by a small kiss against the side of her neck. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Myra shook her head, looking up at him. "Just… thinking."

Raising a blond brow, Shane excused himself from the conversation he was having and nudged Myra to get her to walk with him. Snatching up a blanket and a bottle of tequila on the way, he led her along the beach until they were far enough away from everybody to have a decent amount of privacy. The taller vampire sat down in the sand first, looking up at her and motioning for her to go ahead and sit between his knees. Once she had herself settled, Myra leaned back against his chest and raised a brow when Shane draped a blanket around his shoulders and wrapped her up in it.

"Talk to me, sweetness. What's bothering you?" Unscrewing the cap of the tequila bottle, Shane took a shot and handed it over to her.

Myra fiddled with it for a moment, hesitating as she picked the label, then eventually took a drink. "I didn't get a lot of sleep today, is all. I'm a bit tired."

"Did something keep you from sleeping?" The blond tilted his head, playing with a bit of Myra's curly hair.

"Nightmares." She mumbled, taking another drink. "I have them a lot. I went through some pretty intense stuff last year and I guess my mind hasn't yet recovered from it all the way."

"I see." Letting out a sigh, Shane leaned forward to rest himself comfortably against Myra's back, wrapping his arms around her waist and smoothing his hands along her sides. "Well, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I know how it feels to deal with something that leaves you scarred like that."

"Do you?" Myra tilted her head back to look at him, this soft, curious expression on her face. She watched as Shane smiled down at her and nodded, closing her eyes when he leaned in and stole a deep kiss from her. Shifting, she set the bottle of tequila aside and reached up to run her fingertips along his jaw, opening up to him and letting out a low noise when he pulled her closer. As she kissed him, she became aware of the slow passes of his fingertips against her belly. When he'd slipped his hand beneath her shirt, she had no idea, but the brunette made no move to stop him and, instead, trapped his bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled at it until he growled at her.

Pulling back, the blond nudged her head aside with his own, and began peppering her neck with soft kisses, occasionally scraping the edges of his fangs along the skin. Letting out a soft, content sound, Myra tilted her head a bit more to expose her throat, her back going rigid when Shane's fingers brushed lower and fiddled with the button on her jeans. Licking her lips, she took in a deep, shivery breath and shifted so her back pressed to his chest again, shifting around between his knees and angling her hips just enough to silently give him permission to continue. The other vampire growled against her throat, picking his head up to nip at the shell of her ear and gently press his lips to it.

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly, getting a nod in response.

"Yeah." Reaching up behind her, Myra threaded her fingers into his long hair and tilted her head back to rest it against his shoulder. "It's okay."

Shane let out a low, pleased groan and resumed the kissing of her neck, letting his other hand slip further up her shirt until his fingertips brushed the underside of her bra. Inching higher, he palmed her breast in his hand and gave it a tentative squeeze, nearly chuckling at the way she shivered and pushed her chest forward into his hand. Letting his fingers find the edge of the material, he hooked them into the cup and pulled down, and hummed against her throat when he felt the soft skin beneath the fabric brush his calloused fingers. Myra squirmed a little in her spot, detangling her fingers from his hair to rest both hands on his thighs. The blond behind her began to nip sharply at a spot on her neck, still fussing with the button on her jeans until it slipped free and he could ease the zipper down.

The brunette's breathing picked up when she felt him tuck his hand down the front of her pants, and she whimpered at the first press of his fingers against the crotch of her panties. "Shane…"

"Shhh…" He murmured against her skin, chuckling a little. "I haven't even gotten started."

Biting her tongue, Myra shifted again, pushing her hips up in an invitation for him to continue. If she were to be honest, it had been a _long_ time since she'd allowed anyone to touch her like this. More than a year, in fact. She'd all but forgotten what it was like to allow another person to bring her pleasure, and as Shane rubbed her through her underwear at an insanely slow pace, the brunette couldn't seem to recall _why_ she'd gone without for so long. Closing her eyes, the petite vampire allowed a tiny moan to leave her throat when the hand at her chest found her nipple and gently pinched it between the tips of his fingers. He was slow and almost experimental with the way he rolled the hardening tip and gave it a slight tug that sent a chill down her back. Whining in a needy manner, she gently bumped her head against his and looked up at him from beneath the bit of hair in her eyes.

"What?" He teased, smiling down at her wickedly as he continued to toy with her breast. Myra couldn't find enough breath to speak, and instead, she let out a tiny little mewl that made the vampire chuckle. Dipping his head, Shane covered her mouth with his own, kissing her in an obscenely gentle manner as he slipped the hand between her thighs down the front of her panties and pressed a single finger against the warm, wet flesh he found there. Myra tensed, fingers curling in the material of his jeans as she wriggled in her spot and whimpered into his mouth. Another chuckle resonated in the blond's throat and he pulled out of the kiss to rest his forehead against hers. "Needy little thing, aren't you?"

Myra didn't know how to answer that. She was too busy letting the sensation of his torturous stroking wash over her.

"That's a good girl," Shane murmured in her ear as he slipped his fingers lower and pressed them into her. "Just relax…"

The brunette sucked in a sharp breath, rolling her hips up as the blond began to work his fingers in and out of her, occasionally grinding the heel of his hand against the sensitive little nerve bundle at the top of her sex. In no time at all, she was lolling her head against his shoulder, moaning and biting her tongue hard in an effort not to cry out and draw any attention to them. Though, considering the majority of the partygoers back at the bonfire were vampires, there was a good chance they could already hear her.

"Myra," Shane's breath was hot against her neck when he spoke, his lips brushing along the dip between her throat and shoulder. Myra started to ask him what he wanted, only to let out a little shout of surprise when he buried his fangs in her neck and began working her at a faster pace. The hand that was still clutching her breast kneaded the flesh roughly, fingers still pinching and rolling the peak trapped between them. Leaning back a bit more firmly against the blond's chest, Myra pushed her hips up into his hand and let go of one pant leg to reach up and grab hold of a good fistful of Shane's wavy hair.

The vampire growled in response, pressing his fingers as deep as he could get them and slowing his pace to draw out another heavy moan from her. She was close. Myra could feel the heat and pressure building in her belly with every stroke he put into her, and before she could even think to start begging for her release, Shane withdrew his fangs from her neck and turned her head to bite the other side. The pleasure pain of the bite had Myra grabbing a corner of the blanket they were wrapped in, and cramming it into her mouth to stifle the noises she was making. When Shane returned to just kissing and licking up the blood on her skin, she sagged against his chest, whimpering and pressing herself harder against his hand.

"Shane…" She turned her head to look at him, her amber eyes shimmering in the light of the moon overhead. The blond only smiled and switched his pace again, thrusting his fingers into her with short, hard movements until Myra's entire body tensed. Her breathing hitched, the pitch of her moans getting higher louder until Shane had to cover her lips with his own to muffle the sound. Gripping the taller vampire's hair in her hand with a force that should have pulled it from his skull, Myra arched away from him and shuddered hard. Her breath gusted past his lips, forcing him to turn away, and she sat there for a few moments with her hips still twitching jerkily. Then, she let herself melt against his chest, breathing in harsh little whimpering pants.

The man behind her gave a pleased sort of rumble as he withdrew his hands from her clothes, taking a moment to fix them for her before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back snugly against his form. Peppering little kisses along the marks on her neck that were beginning to close and bruise, he nuzzled at the back of her ear and sighed softly. "I'd ask if you feel better now, sweetness, but I think I already know the answer to that question."

Myra let out a tiny bark of laughter, running a shaky hand through her hair as she nodded. "Much… much better. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." The blond licked up the last of the blood on her skin and pressed a kiss to the marks he'd left behind.

"I… suppose it's your turn now, huh?" The brunette tilted her head back to look at him, getting a soft smirk in return before he bowed and stole a kiss from her.

"Later. You just relax. Have another drink. Don't worry so much about me, sweetness." Running a hand over Myra's belly, Shane nearly chuckled at the way it shuddered beneath his touch, and rested his head against hers.

As she settled herself comfortably in his arms, her body still tingling all over, Myra tipped her head to nuzzle at the man's jaw. Taking his advice, she reached for the forgotten bottle of tequila and took a few more drinks from it. Her eyes stayed trained on the dark ocean in front of them, watching the waves roll back and forth in between sips of booze. She had no idea when she'd actually started feeling drunk, but by the time Shane was nudging her to get up so that they could wander back over to the fire and warm up, she was having a hard time staying upright.

"You okay?" The blond asked as he steadied her for the third or fourth time.

"Mhm." She nodded, moving to head towards the party, only to stumble and fall on her knees in the sand. "Shit."

"Here," Picking her up, Shane kept his arm around her shoulders to help her walk. "You're a bit of a lightweight, aren't you?"

"Not usually, no." Myra heaved a sigh and watched as Shane shooed a couple of girls off of one of the logs surrounding the fire so she could sit. "It's just been a while."

"Maybe you should stay with me tonight."

"I can't… I can't do that." She shook her head, rubbing a hand over her face. "I'll get in trouble if I don't go back."

"Then at least let me take you back to the place you're staying."

"You'll have to drop me off in town. There's… no real road leading to the place." Okay, so it was a lie. But even with as drunk as she was, Myra knew better than to let the vampire go anywhere near Edgar's property. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Shane frowned, reaching over to brush hair out of Myra's eyes. "Can't you call your friend and tell him that you'll be home tomorrow?"

Myra shook her head. She knew Edgar would throw a fit and come down to get her if she even tried that. Picking her head up to look at Shane, she smiled softly and leaned in to press a soft, deep kiss to his lips. "I'll be fine. Just take me back into town. I can take care of myself, Shane. I'm a big girl."

Hesitating a little, the blond finally nodded. "All right. But if you can't make it for whatever reason, I want you to call me. I don't want you getting caught out here during the sunrise."

"I swear I will call you if I have to." Myra smiled wider, giving him another kiss before allowing him to help her to her feet and walk her over to where the bike was parked. She waited as he spoke to one of his friends, then climbed onto the bike behind him, holding on tightly so she wouldn't slip off. The ride back into town seemed to take forever, but Myra didn't complain. She knew Shane was probably just trying to keep her from falling off the back. Once they'd reached the main street, he pulled the bike over and helped her off.

"You let me know that you got back okay, understand?" He shot her a serious sort of look, his blue eyes staying locked to hers.

"I will." Nodding, Myra let him kiss her, lingering against his lips for a long time before backing away. "I'm busy tomorrow night, but I'll be in touch."

"Okay. You have a good night, sweetness."

"Thanks. You too." Smiling at him, the brunette waited until he'd driven away before she ran her hands over her face again and groaned. Truth be told, she was _far_ too drunk to attempt walking back to Edgar's trailer. According to her phone, she had a few hours before sunrise, but she knew the hunter would be _livid_ if she crawled into the trailer with only a few minutes to spare before she got herself burnt up. So, as she walked down the street, she pulled her phone from her pocket and squinted at the screen before dialing Edgar's number.

"_Where the hell are you_?" Oh boy. He did _not_ sound happy.

"Town. I need you to come get me."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothin's wrong, Eddie. M'just a little drunk."

"Oh. That's fantastic, Myra." She could hear him swearing on the other end. "Stay wherever the hell you are. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay."

"Where is your friend?"

"I didn't want to bring him up to your place, and I thought you'd get mad if I stayed with him." Shrugging, she leaned against a building and proceeded to try and light a cigarette for herself. "So I made him drop me off."

"Well, good to know you're smart enough not to drag other vampires up to my house." Edgar let out a sigh on the other end of the line. "Sorry. Listen, I'm leaving right now. I'll see you soon. Don't go anywhere."

"M'not goin' anywhere." Myra promised.

Edgar made some indecipherable noise on the other end, and bid her a quick goodbye. Hanging up her phone, the petite woman sagged against the brick building and surveyed her surroundings with blurry eyes. It didn't take long before she could hear the loud clunking of Edgar's truck and she walked over to the curb when he pulled up in front of her. Throwing her cigarette over her shoulder, she hopped in and shut the door, looking over at him. The brunet only seemed to glare at her for a few minutes, saying absolutely nothing as he started off down the street again. The ride back to the trailer was completely silent, save for the sounds of the beat up truck, and when they pulled into the yard, Edgar was the first to climb out.

"Eddie," Pushing her door open, Myra did her best to get out without falling flat on her face in the gravel. "Edgar, stop for a minute."

"Why are you here, Myra?" The hunter turned on his heel to face her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Why the hell did you come to Luna Bay? You can't tell me you couldn't party back in Santa Carla."

"I…" Myra blinked, trying to find the right words to say. "I needed a break."

"Right. A break. Well, sweetheart, I think everyone could use one of those every once in a while. Some of us just aren't as fortunate as you are to be able to take them whenever we want." Huffing, the Frog brother stormed into the trailer, slamming the door behind him.

It took Myra several minutes before she could find the will to move, and she stayed absolutely silent as she slipped into the trailer. Without so much as glancing in Edgar's direction, the young vampire shuffled to the little bedroom, disappearing behind the divider and seating herself on the edge of the bed to take her boots off. It took her a while to get the rest of her sandy clothes off, and she didn't even bother with blankets as she moved to lie down and curl up on the bed with her arms wrapped around herself. Staring at the wall in front of her, she barely stirred when Edgar opened the divider.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I know you're having a hard time, kid."

"Are you going to stand there and talk at me or are you going to shut up and come to bed?" Myra asked bitterly, not bothering to look at him.

Edgar only sighed and slipped into the little room. Myra listened as he took his boots off and undressed, grunting when he crawled into the bed beside her and hesitantly put an arm around her to pull her close.

"I'm sorry." He kissed her bare shoulder, nestling his face against the back of her neck.

"Go to sleep, Edgar."

"Right." Rolling away, the Frog brother turned over onto his side and tugged the blankets over himself as he resigned to staring at the closed divider until he fell asleep.


End file.
